The Next Generation
by Moemoepl
Summary: It's been 60 years since Edward Elric defeated Father.Now alchemist are no longer around and the remaining have to hide their alchemy.Vienna Wood discovers alchemy from a book her grandmother gave her and becomes interested in alchemy's most dangerous secrets, but she doesn't know what she's really risking in her dangerous work. Full summary inside!
1. Bored

**This fic takes place after Edward defeated Father in FMAB. Alchemists are long gone and the remaining have to hide their alchemy. Vienna Wood becomes interested in alchemy and wants to learn it's most deadly secrets. Her best friend, Tasha Hoffman, learns the trust about alchemy from her elderly neighbor, Edward Elric. When she learns of the dangerous things Vienna is doing, she has to either let Vienna continue her work, or tell Edward and stop her, but get imprisoned and executed.**

**I don't know own FMAB in any way shape or form! I only own the OCs.**

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This world is so boring. All I do is go to school and come home. Why can't this world pack a little excitement for me? Amestris is such a boring country now and Central is the most boring part of all. I've heard from the stories my grandmother told me that Amestris was once abundant with these people called alchemists, but they all disappeared about 30 years ago. I mean it's no surprise to me. They were around in the early 1900's. Now it's 1975 and things are bound to die of by then.

"Hey Vienna!" My best friend Tasha shouts, "Earth to Vienna! Are you there?"

"Yes I'm here. I was just thinking." I say.

"You're always thinking! You need to not think and have fun like me! Then maybe you'll have a boyfriend." She teases.

"I don't need a boyfriend Ms. Tasha Hoffman! Now shouldn't you be getting home before your mom tries to kill you again?" I say coldly.

"Nope! I'm going over to my neighbor's house today after I leave you. He is so lonely and my mom thinks that my visits cheer him up!"

"What is your neighbor's name again?" I ask.

"Oh, his name is Edward Elric. He's, like, 75 years old and he's been very sad ever since his wife, Winry, died. I met him when I was watching his grandchildren and my mom thought I could cheer him up by visiting him!"

"Ok, that's enough info for today Tasha. I'll see you tomorrow ok?"

"Alright! Bye Vienna!"

* * *

I wave goodbye to the bubbly girl and I make my way down the street. I walk slowly on the sidewalk and come to a stop when I reach the military command center. Central Command has always caught my eye, even when I was a child I would ask many questions about it like who works there and what do they do? My grandmother usually answered these questions since my mother had no idea. Not much has changed in the fifteen years I've been alive, except for the fact that my grandmother is no longer with me. She passed away when I was 8. I can't remember how much I grieved because I try to block the memory of her death from my mind.

I see two soldiers dressed in blue uniforms guarding the entrance to Central Command. I salute to them and I continue walking. I'm almost to my apartment building, but I decide to take little detour instead. I walk into the Central cemetery to visit my grandmother's grave. I find the gray headstone with her name on it_ Elizabeth Marie Wilder 1890-1968_. I miss her so much that it hurts. I dig through my brown school bag and pull out a single white daisy, her favorite flower, and I place it on her headstone. I turn around on my heals and head home.

Before I exit the cemetery, I see a headstone that catches my eye. A headstone that says the name **Alex Louis Armstrong**.' On the headstone was a strange circle with many strange shapes and lines inside of it. I can see that someone had tried to scratch it away, but had failed. I take out a piece of paper and a pencil and quickly copy the strange shape. I stuff the paper back into my school bag and run home. On the way out, I bump into a lovely young woman with golden hair and shiny blue eyes. She looked to be in her early thirties. I knocked the yellow flowers she was carrying out of her hands and I politely reach down and pick them up for her.

"I am so sorry ma'am!" I say quickly.

"It's alright young lady." She says. "My name is Sarah Elric."

"I'm Vienna Wood. I was just heading home when I bumped into you." I say.

"Well you better hurry home before you get in trouble with your parents!" She says with happy tone.

"Ah you're right! Thanks !"

I run through the crowded streets, dodging people and cars. I look at my watch and it says 5:00._ Great, I'm going to be late for sure!_I think. I reach my apartment in about 10 minutes considering the cemetery is only a few blocks from my home. I take out my key and unlock the door. I take of my shiny school shoes and tiptoe into the apartment. I quietly sit on the leather couch and look around for my mother. I let out a sigh of relief when I realize my mother isn't home from work yet. This gives me time to examine that strange circle. I run into my room, lock the door, and shut the blinds. I take out the piece of paper and examine the circle. It has a smaller circle inside the larger circle and triangle that's tip extends past the lines of the smaller circle. It has something that looks like flames at the bottom of the triangle and very strange lettering around the circle.

It reminds me of something I saw in a book my grandmother gave me. I dig through my bookshelf and find the book with the title **The Basics of Alchemy**. I flip open to the first page and see and very simple version of the circle. It is only a circle with a triangle on the inside. It called it a transmutation circle, the base of alchemy. This alchemy stuff sure is complicated, but interesting. Maybe I'll look further into this.

"Vienna!" A voice shouts, "I'm home!"

_Oh Mom_ I think, _Why did you have to come home when things were getting interesting?_"Coming Mom!" I shout back to her.

I try to make myself look like I haven't been running around town. I brush my blonde hair and pull it into a ponytail and I take out my contacts and put my black glasses over my dark blue eyes. I change out of my school uniform and into a purple t-shirt, black sweatpants, and purple socks. I walk into the small kitchen and find my mom already cooking dinner. She already changed out of her work clothes and into a light blue dress and was making a lovely dinner of lamb stew. I smile at her hard work. Ever since dad left when I was 4 and grandma died, she's been working so hard to keep us afloat. She even took up a few extra hours at her job. My mom works as a secretary at a large clothing factory far away from our home. She has to drive many miles just to go to work. I admire her so much.

"How was your day sweetheart? Did anything happen?" She asks with a beautiful smile.

"No, but I think something very cool will happen tomorrow."

* * *

**Tasha's Point of View**

I knock of the old wooden door to the old man's apartment. I quickly adjust my school uniform and fix my brownish-black hair. I quickly look in my small pocket mirror to make sure my ebony skin is free of any blemish. I have to look nice for my neighbor/my adopted grandfather. I tighten my grip on the container of cookies my mother made for him.

"Come in, Tasha." He says quietly.

I open the door and find the old man sitting on the small brown couch while reading a book. His wrinkled face has a smile on it and his golden eyes lighten up at the sight of me. He gives me a wave and signals me in.

"Good afternoon Mr. Elric! How are you today?" I ask politely.

"I'm doing alright. My daughter Sarah came to visit me today so I wasn't too lonely. But, you know I always look forwards to your visits. Since my grandchildren are only toddlers, they can't really have a conversation yet. So how was your day today?"

"It was fine. My mother baked you some cookies! She thought you would like them a lot!"

"Tell her I said thank you. Your mother is such a caring woman, just like mine was." He looks at a picture of a lovely woman with brown hair and emerald eyes. He sighs with grief and taps his metal fingers on the coffee table.

"Would you like me to get you some milk Mr. Elric?" I say

"No, absolutely not. I hate milk!" He says coldly.

"What? But, why? Milk is good for you and it will help you live longer, and it may help you grow a little bit."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL HE CAN'T BE SEEN WITH A MICROSCOPE?"

I laugh at his outburst and get a white plate for the cookies. I sit of the light brown couch and watch as he takes a chocolate chip cookie out of the pile. We sit in silence in the old apartment until I speak up.

"Mr. Elric?" I say.

"Yes Tasha, what is it?"

"Could you tell me what happened to the alchemists. My mother told me about them and said they were extinct and I asked about it in school today and the teacher yelled at me for asking such a stupid question. I heard that you were in the military at one time and I thought you might know what happened."

He runs his fingers through his goldish- gray hair and looks me straight in the eye. "Tasha, what I'm about to tell you, you can't tell anyone. If this information gets out, you, me, and our friends and family could be imprisoned or executed."

I nod my head to tell him I understand.

"Have you ever heard of the Fullmetal Alchemist?"

"Yes, my grandparents talked about him all the time when I was younger. They called him a hero and a savior." I respond.

"Well, he was a hero, He saved Amestris from a coup de ta that would've destroyed our country."

"What happened to him?"

"No one knows. But he played a very important role in the disappearance of alchemists."

"How?" I ask shakily. I am very scared of what his answer will be.

"He and many other alchemists tried to change our government into a democracy and-"

"And what ?" I interrupt.

"He failed."

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	2. An Alchemist's Past

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**Tasha's P.O.V**

"What do you mean he failed?" I ask.

"I mean his perfect vision for Amestris to be a democracy fell apart right in front of him." He replies sadly.

"Could you tell me the story? I really would like to know the truth so maybe I can fix a little bit." I say.

"Oh Tasha, it's going to take much more than fixing to bring back alchemy. I doubt it will ever come back."

I see the sorrow in his golden eyes. Why is he so sad about alchemists? Could he be one? Or could he have helped the Fullmetal Alchemist try to make Amestris a democracy? Who exactly is Mr. Edward Elric?

"About 30 years ago," he began, "The Fullmetal Alchemist rounded up most of state alchemists and other amateur alchemists in order to approach Fuhrer Roy Mustang. The Fullmetal Alchemist wasn't technically an alchemist anymore. He lost his alchemy 30 years prior during the coup de ta. Anyways, he confronted the Fuhrer and Mustang immediately agreed to help him."

"Well that's good right? He had the Fuhrer's support, so he should've succeeded!" I say loudly. Mr. Elric sighs and lets his eyes wander to the floor.

"No Tasha. That was the worst decision he could've ever made." He says coldly.

"Oh ok. Please continue, Mr. Elric." I say

"Once he had the Fuhrer's support, the Fullmetal Alchemist, the Fuhrer, and the other alchemists confronted the high council. At that time, Amestris established a council made up of the best leaders and politicians to help the Fuhrer make decisions. But, the council was actually made to take power away from the Fuhrer."

"What?" I exclaim, "They can't do that! They can't take power away from the leader of Amestris!"

"The government can do anything Tasha, never forget that. Anyways, Fullmetal confronted the council and they immediately denied his plan. Fullmetal and the other alchemists decided that they would have to fight for the democracy. The army of alchemists invaded Central Command the following month."

"What happened after that? Was it a full-out war?" I ask.

"No, it was a massacre. Almost all of the alchemists were killed by the soldiers at Central Command. Among the dead alchemists were famous ones such as Alex Louis Armstrong, The Strong Arm Alchemist. Many non-alchemists were killed and injured as well. The Fuhrer's wife, Riza Hawkeye, was shot in the back and barley escaped paralysis. Another woman named Olivier Mira Armstrong received brutal bullet wounds to her legs and they had to be replaced with automail. After the failed invasion, the council passed a law banning alchemy in Amestris and anyone who practiced alchemy would be sentenced to death. They also issued arrest warrants for the Fullmetal Alchemist and Fuhrer Mustang. They both went into hiding with their families and no one knows where they are today. The remaining alchemists in Amestris either were killed, left the country, or went into hiding. Since then, alchemy has been extinct and is considered a mythical art."

I sit there in complete shock. This is what really happened to alchemy? I thought it just died off. Mr. Elric was right to tell me the truth because now I can try to bring it back, but how? Most of the alchemists are gone and who would have the guts to teach me about alchemy? Maybe Mr. Elric knows of an alchemist hiding in Central!

"Mr. Elric, are there any alchemists hiding in Central?"

"Yes Tasha." He sighs, "There was once a state alchemist named Elizabeth Wilder, better known as the Root Alchemist, used to live in Central with her daughter, Loretta, and her granddaughter, Vienna. But she passed away 8 years ago. There may be another alchemist hiding in Central, but you'll have to find him on your own."

"Thank you Mr. Elric for telling me so much. I guess I should be going home before my mom gets too worried."

"Alright Tasha and remember not to tell a single soul about what I just told you." He says sternly.

"Yes Mr. Elric. I stop by tomorrow when I get home. Goodbye." I say quietly before shutting the door.

I walk back to my apartment in a daze. How could Mr. Elric know so much? And did he say that the Root Alchemist had a granddaughter named Vienna? Maybe it could be a different Vienna, but as far as I know there is only one Vienna in Central. And that was Vienna Wood, my best friend. I need to look further into this. Good thing tomorrow is Friday because I can investigate at the National Central Library all weekend. Maybe I'll be able to shed some light on the mystery of alchemy.

I open the door of my apartment and step inside. My mother, Rosette, is in our small kitchen making a big pot roast. I take off my school shoes and sit quietly of the brown, leather couch. I pull a thick red blanket over my leg and find a good book to read. I open the book and try to clear my mind of my conversation with Mr. Elric.

"Are you gonna sit around all evening or are you gonna help your mother with your dinner?" My mother says sternly. She has obviously had a bad day at work.

"I'm going to help my mother with my dinner." I say quietly.

"Good, now get up of that couch and come boil these vegetables I just chopped."

"Yes Ma'am."

I get from my spot on the couch and quickly fill a pot with water and put of the warm stove. I throw the pile of sliced vegetables in the water once I hear the water bubble.

"What's all this food for mom? Is someone coming over?" I ask

"Sort of. Your father got a promotion at work and your brother just got accepted into a big military academy that will take him once he graduates high school. So, I invited your father's family over to celebrate their accomplishments." My mother says proudly.

"Really? That's great! When are we going to have a celebration for me?"

"We'll have a party for you when you accomplish something you work very hard on. Now go get change into something nice." She says sweetly.

I hurry off to my room to change. I am so happy for my father and older brother. My father, Don, is a second lieutenant now first lieutenant in the military and my older brother, Raymond, is a junior in high school and he wants to be just like my father. He has applied to many military schools even though he has one more year of high school left. I've never understood why he wants to go into the military so badly. Maybe it's his desire to be like my father. My mother hates the fact that her child is going into the military. Now she'll be pressuring me more than ever to choose a different career.

I quickly change out of my school uniform and into a black dress that reaches my knees, black heels, and a silver necklace that my aunt gave me. I go into my bathroom and braid my hair into a fishtail braid and put a thin layer of eye liner on. I come out of my room and find all of my father's family in our small apartment. I see my father talking to his brothers and my brother talking to my cousins. My father sees me and runs over to me.

"There's my girl!" He exclaims as he hugs me.

"Congratulations on your promotion Daddy!" I say happily.

"Oh Tasha, if it wasn't for you, your mother, and Raymond, I wouldn't be getting this promotion. Now go and congratulate your brother too."

I walk over to my older brother and my cousins. "Congratulations Raymond!" I say.

"Thank Tash! Maybe someday you'll be accepted into the same academy I'm going into."

"You know as well as I do that Mama does not want me to go into the military! She'll throw me out on the streets!" I shout.

"Ah you take Mama too seriously. Now go enjoy my party!" He says with pride.

"It's yours and Daddy's party. Don't forget that." I say.

After we eat the dinner my mother made and listening to my father's stories from the military, my family leaves and my mother send me and my brother of to bed. I change into thin pajamas and I climb into my warm bed. Tomorrow officially begins my new mission. And that is to bring alchemy back to Amestris. I'll bring alchemy back and everything will be back to normal. I close my eyes and let my new dream take into sleep.

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**Vienna's P.O.V**

After I eat dinner, I excuse myself from the table and lie to my mother that I'm going to go take a shower. I turn on the shower so my mother doesn't get suspicious and I find the book that my grandmother gave me. I turn to the page that had the basic transmutation circle on it. I find a piece of chalk in one of my drawers and I draw the circle of the floor. I look underneath the circle in the book and see a set of instructions titled **The Steps of Alchemy**. I read them slowly.

the makeup of an object

I guess these are the steps I must follow in order to preform alchemy. There is also something about the Law of Equivalent Exchange. It says "In order to obtain or create something, something of equal value must be lost or destroyed." I really don't understand that at all so I ignore it. In order to preform alchemy, I'll need something to start with. I search through all my drawers until I find an old aluminum soda can. I place the can in the middle of the circle and sit down on the floor. I take a deep breath and think of what I want the can to be. _I got it! _I think. I place my hand on the circle and a whitish blue light starts to come up from the circle. In about a minute, the can has been turned into a small, aluminum horse. I am so over-filled with joy that I start jumping in the air shouting "It worked! It worked!"

I did it! I did alchemy! A lost art that was thought to be extinct! Wait till my mom sees this! Wait till Tasha sees this! They will be so amazed by this! But I have a better idea. I'll keep practicing and show them my alchemy when I get really good or better yet I'll do something that was thought to be impossible even with alchemy. I quickly flip through the book to try and find something impossible. I see three possibilities. Making something called a homunculus, making something called a Philosopher's Stone, and bringing the dead back to life. I'll need to look over this a bit more. I dive through my bookshelf to try and find more books on alchemy. Sadly, I find nothing, but a thought comes into my head. My grandmother probably gave more alchemy books to my mother. She probably has them hidden in her room somewhere! I get up to go look for them, but soon realize that it is 9:30 at night and I should probably get to bed. I turn of the shower after realizing it was still on and I climb into my bed and immediately fall asleep.

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**Edward Elric's P.O.V**

I feel a strange pulse wake me from my sleep. This pulse is so familiar. I quickly realize that it is the strange art known as alchemy. But that's impossible. The only alchemists left in Central are Roy Mustang and myself and no one would be foolish enough to try alchemy. Where would they even get the knowledge. The council destroyed all alchemy related books and I know Mustang isn't stupid enough to teach his children, grandchildren, or anyone alchemy. It can't be Tasha. She barley knows anything about alchemy. What if it's Loretta or Vienna, the Root Alchemist's daughter and granddaughter, but Elizabeth wouldn't leave anything behind for them. Then again, she did have hope that someone would bring alchemy back to Amestris and she wanted her granddaughter to have some knowledge of alchemy. But that doesn't mean she would teach it to her! What the hell is going on?

**_Ring Ring, Ring Ring_** calls the phone. I reach over and pick it up.

"Hello." I say shakily.

"Ed, is that you?"Says the voice.

"Alphonse? Where are you? I thought you left for Xing with Mai after alchemy was outlawed!" I exclaim.

"I did, but I just came back to Resembool a few months ago. I would've called sooner, but it took me awhile to find out where you were."

"I understand Al, but what was the real reason you called?" I ask

"I sensed alchemy in central and I thought that you would know who it was. Is it Mustang or Elizabeth?"

"No Al. Mustang would never use alchemy now and I hate to tell you, but Elizabeth died 8 years ago."

"No, not Elizabeth." Al whimpers. It's hard to believe that my brother ,who is now 74 years old, is still the same 14 year old kid on the inside. "Is Loretta ok? I heard she had a daughter. Is she ok too?"

"Loretta and her daughter are fine, Al. Don't worry about her. We just need to focus on this alchemy problem."

"Right right, who do think would be able to find the steps to preform alchemy after the council destroyed all alchemy related material?" He asks

"I don't know. I have a theory that Elizabeth probably left behind some of her alchemy books for Loretta and her granddaughter, but I think Loretta would've hidden them from her daughter."

"You never know Ed. Maybe Loretta wanted her daughter to know about alchemy."

"But I think she wouldn't want her to know how to practice it." I say quietly.

"What do we do now Ed? Until we find out who this new alchemist is, we have no way of stopping them before they go too far." He says

"I'll tell you what Al. You and Mai could come to Central and we'll meet up so that we can discuss this further. " I say

"What about my children and grandchildren who are here with me? I can just leave them!"

"Bring them too! I know a girl that lives down the hall from me that can watch your younger grandchildren and entertain your older grandchildren. And I'm sure her parents can entertain your children." I say confidently.

"What about Mustang?"

"I'm sure Mustang sensed in too and I'll get into contact with him soon. Now go pack your things and get out here as soon as possible!"

"Right Brother!" Al exclaims.

The line goes dead and I hang up the phone. After 30 years, alchemy is finally making a reappearance. Things are finally about to get interesting.

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	3. Red Stone

**Yes, yes I know it's been awhile since the last chapter, but that's all behind us now!**

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**Vienna's P.O.V**

I wake up at around 9 o'clock on Saturday. While other teenagers will be sleeping in, hanging out with friends, or partying, I'll be working on alchemy all weekend. I'll have to be extra careful to not do alchemy when my mom's around. It's probably best to do it at night when she's asleep. I drag myself out of my warm bed and walk in to the kitchen to get something to eat. I am just about to open the refrigerator when I notice a note on the kitchen counter.

It read:

_Dear Vienna, _

_I got called in to work today to help my boss organize some documents. I'll be home around 5:30. There are waffles in the fridge for breakfast and I left some money so you can go out for lunch. You can go to Tasha's house if her mom says it's ok. You can also walk around Central a bit, just make sure to lock to apartment and don't go too far._

_Love, Mom_

"Damn!" I say to myself.

Of course mom would get called into work on Saturday! That stupid boss of hers needs her for everything! That just ticks me off. I wish she would just quit that stupid job so her boss will have to do everything himself. Oh well, at least now I can look in my mom's room for more alchemy books. I quickly scarf down a waffle and go down the hall that leads to my mom's bedroom. I turn the brass door handle and open the wooden door to my mom's room. I quickly step inside and shut the door.

First, I look under her bed. I lift up the soft bed skirt and peek my head under bed. All I see is some old clothes in plastic bins and other random items. I move on to her very cluttered closet. I comb through the hanging shirts, skirts, and dresses and sit on my knees. I find many boxes with many different labels written on them. Some were labeled Vienna, others were labeled Family, and there was even one labeled Nash. Really? I can't believe she kept some of my father's junk! If it were up to me, I would burn that crap and stomp on the ashes. I put my anger aside and keep searching, but I can't find a single box connected to my grandma or alchemy. Just as I was about to give up, I spot something very strange at the very back of the closet.

Behind a very heavy box is a small door. I push the box out of the way and turn to brass handle. I crawl through the space and it takes me to a small storage area. It isn't that big. It is about the size of the cockpit in an airplane.** (Since it's 1975, Amestris has airplanes.) **But, the ceiling was high enough that I could stand on my knees. It doesn't look like it had been tampered with since we moved here, which was four years ago. I guess Mom stuffed everything she didn't want me to find in here.

I scan the area and all I see are many boxes labeled _Mother._ I guess she's referring to Grandma as Mother because she's Mom's mother. I find that the boxes aren't tapped shut, so I immediately open the first one I see. This one has many pictures of my grandma. The first one had a picture of her when she was fifteen, her mother and father, and her five siblings in her home town of Kanama, a small slum just outside of Central. The next one was of her and a man with golden hair and eyes who was wearing a red coat. In the next one she looked to be about twenty. She was wearing a military uniform and by the number of stars and stripes on her uniform, I could tell she was a lieutenant colonel. She was standing next to woman with curly blonde hair and blue eyes. If I didn't know any better, I would say they were sisters. But no, the other woman was a major general so she was her superior. I skim through the rest of the pictures very quickly until the last one catches my eye.

My grandma is standing on top of a large fort with rows of soldiers standing behind her. In this picture, she is a major general. I suddenly recognized that fort. It is Fort Briggs. We learned about the massive fort in school. It serves as a barrier between Amestris and Drachma and it's done its job well. But I never thought that my grandmother could have controlled Briggs. She only looks to be about 30 in the picture so this picture must've been taken over 45 years ago. What in the world was my grandmother doing commanding Briggs? I always knew that my Grandma was in the military, but I always heard that she worked in Central! I heard she retired once my mother was born and she was a captain when she retired, not a general!

I am now more curious than ever, so I move on the next box. I quickly open this one and find a letter folded very nicely. I open it up and read it slowly.

_My dearest Loretta,_

_I know that my death is approaching me. So read every single word of this letter. For it contains my last wishes for you and little Vienna. I am entrusting you with all my alchemy related material. I want you to keep it in a place where no one will find it. If it gets out that you have reading material about alchemy, the books will be burned and you and Vienna will be imprisoned and executed. It is your choice to tell Vienna about the ban of alchemy, my year commanding Fort Briggs, or the truth about my military career. You may tell her, you may wait until she's older, or you may not tell her at all. It is up to you, my daughter. Please tell Vienna I love her and please go on with your lives after I'm gone. I am so proud of you Loretta and I will never stop loving you. Thank you for being so wonderful._

_Love, _

_Your mother_

I am shocked by the letter. So Grandma did command Fort Briggs! But why for only a year? And what did she mean by the truth about her military career? I think those pictures told it all! But do things go deeper than that? And what about the ban of alchemy? I always thought it died off and was forgotten. But according to my Grandma, it was banned. I put the letter on the floor and look for anything else in the box. Underneath the letter is a silver pocket watch with a dragon in a hexagram engraved on the front. To many this is a symbol of death and rebellion, but to me and my mother, it's a symbol of a state alchemist. I open the watch and find that to clock is still ticking. On the part that I opened, a message is engraved into it. "_The tree would not live without the roots." _It said

"What a strange saying." I think. I lift the watch out of the box and find all the alchemy books my Grandma owned. I smile and carry the box to my room and hide it in my closet. I return to the storage area and put everything back where it should go. I make sure take the letter and pocket watch with me to investigate it more. I'm pretty sure my Grandma would leave something secret for my mother. I just got to find it! I close the door to the storage area and walk back to my room. I find numerous things to use for transmutations, I grad my stick of chalk, I sit on my closet floor and grab the first book and begin reading.

* * *

**Tasha's P.O.V**

"Mom! I'm going to the library!" I shout.

"Tasha, how many times have I told you not to yell in the house?" My mom says sternly.

"Sorry mom. I'm just really eager to get out this weekend!"

"Well, you get to go out today, but not tomorrow. I just got a call for . His brother and sister in law are coming here all the way from the East and their children and grandchildren are coming with him. He's asked us to entertain his children and grandchildren while they discuss something very important."

"How old are they?" I ask.

"The children are adults and the grandchildren range from three to fifteen. said his youngest daughter might come by to help. You met her before remember? Ms. Sara?"

"Oh yeah! I've watched her kids before!"

"Good. Now go have some fun while you can!"

"Yes Ma'am!" I say cheerfully.

I quickly put on my black tennis shoes and run out the door. I ride the elevator down the lobby and run out the door. As I walk along the sidewalk, I notice something isn't right. There are soldiers everywhere! They were dressed in blue uniforms with guns on their backs and many of them were holding onto dogs that are trying to get the scent of something or someone. I walk quickly down the sidewalk, trying to avoid the soldiers. I don't want to be stopped for questioning because my dad says it takes forever. I wonder what they're looking for. It's probably a huge criminal.

I walk a few more blocks before I reach the fourth branch of the National Central Library. In all there are six branches, but the first three are reserved for the military only. You can't even get into the fourth branch without paying a hefty fine first. Luckily, I get in for free because I go to a school that endorses the libraries. I show the woman at the front desk my school ID and she lets me go in. I start at the Amestrian history section and look for the label that says 1930-1939. I find the label and look for the biggest book on the shelf.

I find a very thick book with the title, _Amestrian History: 1930-1939._ I don't even bother to find a seat so I sit down on the floor and lean up against the bookshelf. I open up to the table of contents and find the section called _the 1930's_. I flip through the section and find nothing on the ban on alchemy. I look through the rest of the books and all the other books on the shelf and find nothing. My frustration is giving me a headache so I stand up to walk around a bit. As I walk, I think as well. I wonder if was lying to me. No, that can't be right. I can tell he's not lying because of his eyes. His eyes were focused and sad at the same time. We learned in my phycology class at school that when people lie, they start breathing fast and they don't make much eye contact. But 's breathing never changed and he kept eye contact with me the whole time he was telling me about the ban on alchemy. That's when another theory comes into my head.

What if the government covered it up? That must be it! The government covers up things all the time and this must've be big enough to cover up! I bet all documents kept on the ban are in the first three branches of the National Central Library! Maybe they're only kept in the first branch because they are so confidential! But, there's no way I'll ever be able to get in there.

As I pace around the library, I notice something strange in the back of the building. One of the book shelves is coming off of the wall. I peak behind the bookshelf and find a flight of stairs. I look all around me to make sure there's no one looking and there's no security cameras. Lucky for me, the library doesn't have any security cameras. I open the crack a bit more and slide myself through. I quietly shut the door behind me and carefully make my way down the steps. Once I reach the bottom, I see a red light coming from the left side of the hall. I slowly walk down the hall till I reach the open door that the light is coming from.

"Whoa." I say to myself. This place looks like it came out of a horror movie.

The place looks very old. There are cobwebs everywhere and dust covers everything. There are no signs of people in the room so I enter. There is nothing in the front of the room, but there is something very interesting in the back. There are many containers with fluid inside of them. Suspended in the fluid, are many red stones. They are crimson red and they are glowing. I read the metal plate on the container. It says, _Philosopher's stones: Made in 1915. _

These can't be the legendary Philosopher's Stones! It is said that anyone who found the stone and kept it with them would have good luck and fortune for the rest of their lives! It is also said that the bigger the stone is, the more good luck you'll have! I look for a way to get the stone out. I discover that there are gloves on the side so you can reach in and pull out a stone. I look in both containers and find the biggest stone. It was about three inches long and about an inch around. I stick my hand into the glove and grab my stone.

I put the stone into the palm of my hand and run out of the room and make sure to walk quietly back up the stairs. I open the door just a crack to make sure no one is around. I see a lady with her back turned away from the door. I cautiously open the door and quietly step out. I shut the door careful and walk along the wall until I am far away from that door. I stuff the stone in my pocket and make my way towards the exit. Once I am out on the streets, I remove the stone from my jean pocket. I hold it so people walking by me can't see what I'm holding. As I'm holding the stone in my hand, I am overwhelmed by this feeling. It felt like I am holding the entire world in the palm of my hand. It felt like I had every ounce of power the world had to offer.

I immediately decide to get this stone made into a necklace. On my way back home, I stop by the jeweler's shop. I walk up to the desk and ask the old woman at the counter if she could make this into a necklace.

"How would you like it made dear?" She asks sweetly.

'I would like the chain to be gold and long enough that comes down just above my chest. And could you make the thing that holds the stone look like a little hawk's foot?"

"Of course dear. Would like me to smooth it out?"

"No Ma'am. I like it just the way it is! Oh and could you move me to the top of your list?" I ask without hesitating.

"Well, normally I would say no. But since I don't have any other orders for today and since you seem like such a sweet young lady I'm going to say yes." She says with a wrinkled smile.

"Thank you so much Miss!" I say happily.

"You're very welcome!" She walks over to the cash register and punches in my order. "Your total will be 7,824 cenz."

I look in my wallet and I see that I only have 3,912 cenz. I also don't have my debit card on me. "I'll tell you what." I say, "I'll give you 3,912 cenz now and I'll run back to my apartment and get you the other half."

"Alright dear. It's 1:30 now so your order will be down at about 4:30 or 4:45. You can go relax at you home until about 4:30. You can bring me the money then!"

"Thanks a lot Miss!" I say while exiting the store, "I'll see you at 4:30!"

"Ok! Goodbye!"

I walk back to my apartment very fast. I notice the soldiers are mostly gone except for a few who are speaking to their commanding officers. I ride in the elevator again until I reach the tenth floor. I greet my mother, who is reading a book, and I knock on my brother's door just to annoy him. I go into my room and flop onto the bed. I lie down for a few minutes and decide to shut my eyes. When I open my eyes again and look at the clock, it is 4:20. I suddenly switch into overdrive and pull out my money box from underneath my bed. I count out 3,912 cenz and run out the door. I run as fast as I can to the jeweler's shop and I give the money to the old lady once I'm inside.

"Here you are Hun!" She says

I admire the necklace. It is just like I wanted it. I undo the clasp and fasten in around my neck. The old lady holds up a small mirror and I gaze at the necklace. "Thank you!" I say

"Anytime dear! I'm glad you like it!"

"Have a good day! And thanks again!"

I exit the store and continue to walk back to my apartment building. I suddenly get this strange new feeling in my body. I feel more energized and healthy. It must be the good luck coming from my stone. Wait till Vienna sees this! Wait till Mr. Elric sees this! I should probably wait till I visit him on Monday to show him since his family is coming all the way from the east. In the meantime, I can't wait to see what kind of luck comes from this stone!

* * *

**Roy Mustang's P.O.V**

"Roy!" I hear my wife, Riza, shout from the kitchen. "Are you going to help me cook dinner or not?"

"I'm coming dear!" I shout back.

I slowly pulled myself off the red arm chair and walk to the kitchen. I try to fix the aches and pains I've been having in my joints, but I can't do it. I guess that's what happens when you're 90 years old. Riza says I'm much healthier than the average 90 year old. But I don't feel that way today.

"Are you alright Roy?" Riza asks while chopping some vegetables.

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, you just seem sort of troubled. Is something bothering you?"

"Yes as a matter of fact. Something is bothering me."

"Well, should I take you to a doctor?" She asks sincerely. Ever since we've gotten married, Riza has been so much kinder. But she can get very strict on our grandchildren.

"No Riza, this can't be fixed with a doctor."

"Well what could it be? It's not like you sensing alchemy or anything."

I let my eyes fall to the floor and my mouth turns into a sad frown. I look at Riza in the eyes and slowly nod my head. Riza's eyes widen and she gasps. She drops her knife on the counter and rushes over to the table where I'm sitting.

"Don't be silly Roy. There are no more alchemists in Amestris! Unless you count Edward, but he can't even use alchemy and I doubt he'll ever teach it to anyone!" She says with a sad smile.

"Riza, I've be feeling someone doing transmutations since about 10:30 this morning and this afternoon I felt something even greater. Something much more powerful and dangerous!" I yell.

"You don't think it was a-"

"Yes," I say while cutting her off, "It was a Philosopher's Stone."

"Where would someone even get a Philosopher's Stone? Didn't the government stop all alchemic research after alchemy was banned?"

"They're the government Riza. They can do whatever they want and no one can stop them. You and I should know that better than anyone."

Riza frowns and walks back to the vegetables she was chopping. There is an awkward silence that seems to go on forever. "What are we going to do?" She says quietly.

"I don't know Riza. We don't know if the person who is doing all these transmutations and the person who as the Philosopher's Stone are the same person or two different people. We won't know until we find them."

"We could call Alphonse Elric. His wife taught his alkahestry so can't he sense Philosopher's Stones?"

"I think so, but I don't think he's even in the country anymore. He probably escaped to Xing once alchemy was banned."

"You're probably right. Edward might know where he is!" Riza exclaims.

"He might know where he is. But, I haven't spoken to Fullmetal in 10 years. I don't even know if he's still in Central." I then hear the phone ring and Riza picks it up.

"Hello!" She answers. "Oh yes, he's here. Sure I'll let you speak to him." She hands the phone over to me. I mouth 'Who is it?' and she mouths back 'I don't know.'

"Hello." I say.

"Mustang, it's good to hear your voice again!" The voice on the other end says.

"Fullmetal!" I exclaim.

"Are you still being a jackass or have you finally matured? And stop calling me Fullmetal! I'm not an alchemist anymore."

"Enough joking Full- I mean Edward! Why are you really calling me?"

"I'm sure you've felt the alchemy that's was being performed all day today and I'm sure you've felt that Philosopher's Stone too."

"Yeah, I have. The Philosopher's Stone didn't feel that powerful though."

"Well, you're probably not close enough to it. I can feel that thing as if it is right next to me so it must be close to my home. Listen, Alphonse, Mai, their children, and their grandchildren and flying in from Resembool and they'll get here tomorrow. Al felt the alchemy too and I'm sure he and Mai felt the Philosopher's Stone."

"So what are you calling me for?"

"Isn't obvious? You're going to come over to my home along with Al and Mai and we're going to figure out what the Hell we're going to do about this alchemist and this Philosopher's Stone!"

"Aright then. I guess I'll see you tomorrow. Wait what you're address?"

"That's not important right now! I'm going to send a cab to pick you up. You'll be under a code name so don't be surprised if the driver gets your name wrong."

"Ok. Thanks Ed."

"Anytime Mustang."

The line goes dead and Riza is sitting next to me waiting for answers. "What was all that about?" She asks with concern

"Apparently Edward felt it too. I'm going to go over to his home tomorrow along with Alphonse and his wife, Mai, to figure out what we're going to do."

"I hope you figure out something." She says with a soft smile. "Now I'll call the grandkids down to help me while you can go rest."

"What? I don't need rest!"

"Roy!" She says sternly.

"Ok, Ok! I'm going to go sit on the couch and watch TV."

I sit on the couch and turn on the TV while Riza calls for our grandchildren. I see my granddaughter, Lyra, come out of her bedroom while my grandson, Dante, comes out of the laundry room.

"Geez Grandma! First you have me fold the laundry, now you're having me help you cook? Why can't you give Lyra some of this work?" Dante complains.

"She does give me work. I'm just not a slacker like you!" Lyra replies feistily while she flips her blonde hair out of her face.

They act just like most siblings act. I think I would be worse if they were younger but they are twins and they still fight like they 5 when they're really fifteen! Riza says that's how we acted when we were their age. If that's the case, then I was a pretty selfish kid!

I sigh and reflect on my conversation with Edward. If this alchemist gets out of control, they could get executed or even end up killing themselves with their alchemy. I guess we'll have to find out who it is first. That shouldn't be too hard for me. After all if I can fake the death of a murder suspect, kill a homunculus and render one down to the point of death, and restore Ishval, I pretty sure I can find one alchemist. Things are finally getting interesting again.

* * *

**Please Review!**


	4. Interrogation

**Here is the long overdue chapter off The Next Generation! I know it's been a while, but I will try to update more often for now on. Please tell me if I made any grammar errors or spelling errors since I have a hard time detecting those. And tell me if any characters are OOC.**

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**Daninuyasha: I like interesting and unusual stories! And I think so many stories out there are so cliche and boring that I like to give you guys a much needed breathe of fresh air.**

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**Thanks to all those who favorited and alerted**

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**Now on with the chapter!**

* * *

**Roy Mustang's P.O.V**

Riza shakes my shoulder and tells me to wake up. I open my eyes slowly and remember I have a meeting with Edward this morning. I get out of bed and change into a nice black suit and comb my snow white hair. I hate its' new color, but it's a part of aging. Riza made me a simple breakfast of eggs and bacon. I eat most of it because my stomach isn't as big as it used to be and I'm nervous about this meeting. I could be recognized by the military and executed.

"Roy, are you OK?" Riza asks as she sits next to me at the table.

"Yes dear. I'm just a bit nervous about being spotted in public."

"Don't worry. No one will recognize you and where did this fear come from? You gotten more fearful as you've aged, Roy. Be that man who saved Ametris so long ago and you'll be fine." She says sweetly.

I smile and kiss her on her forehead. Dante and Lyra decide to joins us for breakfast, which is rare. On the weekends, they're usually sleeping until noon. They get some of Riza's food too and sit at the table with us.

"Grandpa, why are you dressed like that?" Lyra asks.

"I have a meeting today and I want to look nice for everyone that is going to be there."

Lyra starts to laugh and Dante starts to choke on his food. "What's so funny?" I say.

"You never go anywhere. Why do you suddenly want to be social?" Dante says.

"It's an important meeting. If it wasn't important, I would be staying home."

I hear our doorbell ring and I decide to answer it. It's always risky for me to answer the door because you never know if it's going to be the military coming to arrest Riza and I. I open the door and find that it's not the military, but a taxi cab driver. He must be the man that Edward sent to get me. That means that he has an alias that Edward came up with.

"Hello, can I help you?" I say politely.

"Yes, are you Mr. Jack Ass?" The man asks.

"What did you say?"

"Your name is Jack Ass, right?" That must be the alias Edward gave me. He hasn't grown up at all. He's lucky I'm not in the military anymore.

"Yes, unfortunately. Let me get my things and I'll be outside in a little bit."

I close the door and grab a brown briefcase. I put one of Riza's pistols in the case and a pack of bullets. Ever since our arrest warrant were issued, Riza began keeping many guns around the house. Every time someone answers the door, she stands behind the wall with a pistil in her hands, ready to shoot at any moment. I close the case and go to the back of my closet and get a silver case. I wipe the dust of the case and open it. Inside are many pairs of my old flame alchemy gloves. It's been years since I've worn these, but today is a special day. I put them on my hands and put an extra pair in my suit pocket just in case it rains.

I say good bye to Riza and our grandchildren and go outside to the taxi. I get in the car , the driver starts up the car and we drive off. I don't know how long the drive is going to take, so I get comfortable. To my surprise, the drive only takes about fifteen minutes. I thought Edward would have left Central, but apparently that's not the case. The taxi drops me off in front of a tall apartment building and I walk inside to the front desk. I ask the woman at the front desk for Edward's apartment number and I have to tell her my horrible alias. She immediately gives me his room number as if she knew I was coming. I ride the elevator to the tenth floor and knock on Edward's door once I find it.

"Who is it?" A voice says.

"It's me, Roy."

"What the password?"

"Enough Ed! Just let me in!" I blurt out.

Edward opens the door and I'm taken aback by his appearance. His gold hair is now slightly gray and his skin is full of wrinkles. He also looks very frail. The only thing unchanged about him is his eyes. There still the same gold as they've always been.

"Good to see you Roy." Edward says with a smile. He holds out his frail hand for me to shake. We shake hands and we go inside. Alphonse and the Xingese girl, Mai, are already there. Alphonse's eyes light up when he sees me, but he remains professional and shake my hand instead of bursting into tears and suffocating me with a hug. Mai gives me a soft hug. Both her and Alphonse look different too. Alphonse's hair is the same color as Edward's, but he looks healthier and less frail. Mai's long black hair is now snow white and kept in a bun at the back of her head instead on the long braids she wore when she was younger. She also looks much younger than she really is. If I didn't know her, I would say she is in her late fifties instead of her early seventies.

"Let's get started." Edward orders. We all sit down and the meeting begins.

"So what are we going to do?" Alphonse asks us.

"I know that the alchemist lives here in Central. The alchemy is coming from the east side of Central, near the cemetery where Armstrong, Elizabeth, and Hughes are buried." I say.

"That's not far from here! It's only a few blocks away!" Edward exclaims.

I look over and see that Mai doesn't look well. "Mai, are you alright? You don't look well." I ask.

"I'm fine. It's just the philosopher's stone is very close. You see, when alkehistrists and alchemists get older, they gain the ability to sense all alchemic and alkehistric activity. This includes homuculi and philosopher's stones. In Xing, we are taught to read the dragon's pulse, so we've grown out of this ability. But when a alkehistrist is taught alchemy or vice versa, they get this ability back. So since Alphonse taught me alchemy and I taught him alkehistory, our ability to sense these activities is twice as strong than normal alchemists and alkehistrists. This makes old people like us a bit uneasy when strong activities come up." Mai explains.

"I see, so how close is this stone?" Edward says.

"It's just down the hall actually. You were exactly right Ed." Mai says.

"So back to this alchemist. Do we even have an idea of who this person is? I mean, they obviously have access to alchemy related books, so do we know any alchemists that left behind books for their relatives?" I state.

"The members of the Armstrong family could have some," Alphonse suggests," After the major died, he gave all his books to Olivier and she kept some and gave some to the other siblings. The rest she put in a vault in her home.

"It could be one of the children of the Armstrong siblings. But what about Elizabeth? She left all her books to her daughter, Loretta. I don't think Loretta would be stupid enough to try alchemy. But she does have a daughter. Maybe her daughter got her hands on some of the books, got curious, and tried alchemy." Edward says.

"But what is these people got rid of all their books," I say in a loud voice, "They could've burned the books in order to escape the military. Hell, the only books on alchemy left could be in the military's possession!"

"It could be a Xingese immigrant! A few Xingese families have moved to Amestris for jobs and we allowed our citizens to learn about alchemy. Someone could've their books across the border and started to learn alchemy." Mai adds.

"Enough with trying to figure out who this alchemist is. We have to come up with a plan on how to stop this alchemist without the military!" Edward yells.

"We should show them all the bad things that could happen if they go to far with alchemy. Things like Human Transmutation would really make someone want to stop alchemy." Alphonse suggests.

"Yeah, we should do that. And if they don't stop then, we may have to use force instead." I say.

"So that's our plan. Scare them with all the horrible things in alchemy and if they don't stop then, use force. It's good for now, but we may need to adjust once we find out who this guy really is." Edward says.

We all agree on the plan and we relax for a little bit. Alphonse and Mai start to tell stories about all the adventures they had in Xing. I guess that prince turned emperor is doing well. What was his name? Ah yes, Ling Yao. According to Mai and Alphonse, he married his bodyguard, Lan Fan, and they had a son and daughter. The son is going to be the next emperor and he already has an heir. A daughter who is fifteen years old and is currently being groomed into the perfect future empress. After a few hours we all decide to say our goodbye for now. I say good bye to Alphonse and Mai, who say they are temporally staying in Central until the alchemist is found and stopped. I leave Edward's home and go to the taxi cab that waited outside the building until I came out. I got in the cab and drove home.

* * *

**Tasha's P.O.V**

My mother woke me up early this morning to prepare for all the people that were coming over. She said I had to look very nice, but not too nice. I have no idea what that means, I'll do the best I can. I shower very quickly and straighten my hair so I can pull it back in a ponytail. I apply a bit of concealer and a little bit of eyeliner to make me look somewhat awake and lively. I change into a white t-shirt with a simple flower design and denim jeans. I was about to leave my room when I realize I forgot to put on my new necklace. I don't even have to search for it since the philosopher's stone's energy is so potent I can feel from across my room.

I leave my room and to my surprise, people are already here. There are 4 adults that look to be between the ages of 50 and 30 sitting at our kitchen table with my mother. There are about 4 young children between the ages of 3 and 9 playing with all me and Raymond's old toys. Ad there are two teenagers that look my age, a boy and a girl. The girl looked Xingese with her eyes and black hair, but her eyes were a popping gold instead of the usual dark brown that the Xingese usually have. The boy have golden hair, but the dark Xingese brown eyes. I sit down on the couch next to them so I can hopefully start a conversation with them. After a few minutes in silence, the girl speaks up.

"Hi, my name is Nina Elric and this is my cousin Alex Elric. You must be Tasha! Our grandfather said that you would be helping us watch our younger siblings." Nina says enthusiasticly.

" Yeah I'm babysitter girl. I watch your great uncle's grandchildren all the time, so these little guys won't be a problem." I say.

"You'd be surprised. Our little brothers and sisters can be pretty rambunctious." Alex says. One of the little children tugs on my lap and I let him climb on. Another child, a little girl, comes up and gladly climbs on too.

"That's my little brother, Denny, and the little girl is Alex's little sister, Maria." Nina says.

The two children are adorable. Denny has brownish gold hair and big black eyes. Maria has black hair and grayish gold eyes. They both look to be about four or five. They happily sit on my lap until Maria grabs my philosopher's stone out of curiosity. Maria becomes tense and looks like she's about the throw up. Denny grabs it to and looks the same way. Denny jumps of my lap and pulls his cousin off too. They get the attention of the other children and point at me like I'm dangerous. The children quickly relocate to the other side of the room to get away from me.

"What was that all about?" I ask.

"Beats me. Maybe they are just a bit-" Alex stops talking and his eyes go straight to my necklace. His face goes into a look of shock and amazement. Nina gives him a strange look, bit then she realizes what he's looking at and she goes into the same state he's in.

"What kind of a stone is that?" Nina asks in a shaky voice. They better not be trying to steal my stone. I can't just go back and get another one! What ever happens, they are not getting their hands on this stone.

"It's just a stone I found and I thought it was pretty so I had it made into a necklace." I lie.

"Really? You know, since we were raised in Xing we can sense the power of that stone. You don't have to lie about it. We need to take this conversation somewhere more private." Alex says.

Nina and Alex drag me off the couch and we barley escape before my mother catches us. She immediately asks us where we're going and I lie to her and say I'm showing Nina and Alex my room. She lets us go and we go into my room. I quietly shut the door and my interrogation begins.

"Where did you get that philosopher's stone?" Alex says with a harsh tone in his voice.

"I'll tell you if you promise not to take my stone away or tell anyone else about my stone." Alex and Nina nod their heads in agreement and I tell them my story about how I found the stone. They look utterly shocked.

"But I thought Amestris banned alchemy and anything related to alchemy 30 years ago?" Nina says with bewilderment.

"They did, but my stone was made in 1915 which was 30 years before the ban. I don't why they were under the library in the first place or why they didn't destroy them after the ban. All I know is that there are a bunch of them under them library and there could be more of them."

"You could get in huge trouble if someone in the military finds out about that stone. I suggest you don't wear it around your father and since you go a school that is sponsored by the government, don't wear it there either." Alex says.

"I won't wear it here, but I'm going to wear it to my school to show my friend, Vienna, and to make me more energized through out the day. I know I'm taking a huge risk by wearing this stone, but maybe if I keep wearing it, it will encourage people to become alchemists and then alchemy will come back to Amestris."

"It's your funeral girl. We'll watch your back until the military come to get you, then we're gone. We don't want to be blamed for your actions. And don't get around our grandma and grandpa with that thing. They are both practice alkehistory and they get very hostile around philosopher's stones. Don't get around any members from the Xingese royal family either. They'll kill you on the spot if they see that you have one of those things."

"Thanks for the warning Alex. I promise I'll be more careful."

"We will be going to your school for a little bit while our family is in Central. We'll be able to keep a much better eye on you then." Nina says.

We leave my room and continue to watch the children, who are still on the other side of the room, in complete silence. I hope Vienna won't react the same way they did . Vienna will be more understanding and won't question me at all. She'll be completely fine with it. I'm sure of it.

* * *

**Vienna's P.O.V**

My transmutations are getting more and more complicated each time I transmute. Alchemy quickly became a second a nature to me. I went from transmuting cans into little animals to transmuting copper coins into gold coins. I think I'm progressing pretty fast for having learned alchemy only a few days ago. The books helped a lot. I've already read half of them, which is a lot considering I found over a hundred books in my mom's crawl space. I now know how to transmute all kinds of things like water, earth, air, and other elements like sulfur and mercury. I've even tried transmuting some of my dinner from last night. My meal of pasta is now a meal of bread.

My mother didn't notice that I raided her room, so I avoided trouble with her. I hope the government doesn't notice what I'm doing. I'm not going to stop either way. Once someone has the knowledge of how to do alchemy, then all they need is a transmutation circle. But what is there was a way to do alchemy without a transmutation circle? Is that even possible? In all the books I read, it said that alchemy was impossible without a circle. Something about that troubles me. All my life, my grandmother has told me stories of alchemists that could do alchemy without a circle. These alchemists were targeted by a group that wanted to use this ability to take over the world.

Something tells me it goes much deeper than that. How did they gain this ability? My grandmother never mentioned that in her stories. There must be a reason that it's not in any of these books. Is it something no one knows about? Or it is taboo? The only books that have touched upon this are the books written by these people called the Elric brothers, the former fuhrer of Amestris, Roy Mustang, some books written by an Ishvalan with no name, and some books in Xingese that I could only understand with help from a Xingese translator book.

I must find out the secret behind this. I want to know how to do alchemy without a circle so that if I am arrested, I can do alchemy so I can escape and start a revolt against the government. I have to dig deeper. I won't find the information in books so I'll have to look elsewhere. I can scratch the government of my list. My mother probably won't know. I can't go to Xing since I'm too young and I can't speak Xingese. I can't go to any of my grandmother's old friends since they are all most likely dead. I guess I'll just have to figure this out on my own, without anyone's help. I sincerely hope that Tasha and mom don't react badly when I eventually show them my alchemy. If they do react badly, what am I going to do? I guess anything is better than getting arrested by the military. I mean what can be worse that that?

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**Third Person P.O.V**

A fast black figure hops across the rooftops of Central. It's been traveling for days to get this far. It can sense the alchemy coming from the east side of Central. The figure has to stop the alchemy in order to prevent war. The figure's tools shake as it hops across the rooftops. Kunai, shuriken, daggers, bombs of all kinds, even the small katana strapped onto it's back makes noise as the figure tries hard to be stealthy. Suddenly, he figure senses something strange. The figure recognizes this chi. It's sick and twisted, just like the chi that came from its' grandfather long ago. The figure realizes that this chi is a greater threat to it's country that the alchemy. It's coming from the western part of Central, where a family the figure knows well is right now.

The figure narrows it's black eyes in the directions of the chi. The figure knows it must kill the person in possession of this chi and destroy the chi itself. The figure gets a better idea and instead of destroying the chi, it will take it back to it's country and present it to its' grandfather so he can destroy it himself. The figure turns itself in the direction of the chi and flies towards it, ready to destroy anything that gets in its' way.

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**Please Review! :3 :3**


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